Thinness and rear panel details belie the "extreme simplicity" of the iPad.

Samsung has won a ruling in UK High Court that its Galaxy Tab tablets do not infringe on Apple's European registered community design for the iPad. While the court ruled that some physical differences exist, Judge Colin Birss on Monday implied that Samsung's designs were just too different to be confused with Apple's now-iconic iPad.

Samsung's tablets "do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design," Judge Birss said during the court's announcement, according to Bloomberg. "They are not as cool."

Apple is suing Samsung for allegedly copying the design of the iPad for its Galaxy Tab tablets in the US and Germany, but Samsung filed a lawsuit in the UK to have its design declared as non-infringing for two reasons. One is that UK courts tend to side with alleged infringers over patent holders. The other is that a ruling in its favor could have an impact on the decision by German courts. According to EU rules, courts in EU jurisdictions must at least consider rulings on similar cases in other EU countries, though they aren't required to make identical rulings.

Samsung was predictably pleased with the ruling. "Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims in other countries based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited," the company said in an e-mailed statement to Bloomberg.

Apple is sticking to its position that Samsung is a copycat, however. "It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad," Apple spokesperson Alan Hely said. "This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we've said many times before, we need to protect Apple's intellectual property."